Anti Thief and Pickpocket rules in China

[Cheshire_Puss]

hi!

i want to know how can one protect himself against thief and pickpockets in kunming. please don't give general advices like "stay alert" or alike.

I'd like to know where to carry my cash (bag which is inside bag which is inside bag would help if one cuts it you think?)

where to keep my cell phone,

also documents so on...

[Scoobyqueen]

A Chinese friend of mine from Beijing always carries her cash within a book.I followed her example and another Chinese friend told me this was very wise apparently.

[anonymoose]

I only a few days ago witnessed someone in the process of being pickpocketed in Xi'an.

Pickpockets will go for the easy targets. That means, they will lift things if they think the owner won't notice. So therefore, it tends to be from things like bags slung over the shoulder. It is easy to gently undo the zip and stick your hand in. Also from jacket pockets which tend to be quite loose where you just need to slip your hand in and lift the wallet or phone out.

I have lived in China for over 5 years, and always carry cash and a phone around with me, and thus far have not lost either.

I usually keep my cash in my trouser pocket which is fairly tight. I think it would be very difficult for anyone to lift the wallet out without me feeling it. My phone is usually kept in my shirt front pocket. In theory maybe easier to pull out, but since it is right under my eye, again would be difficult to go unnoticed.

Also, don't hang any dangly things off you phone or wallet as that just provides another handle for those things to be lifted by.

[roddy]

Who always carries a book?

If you're worried, find a pair of travel trousers - they'll have multiple pockets with buttons or zips on. I had a pair once, was three years before I found all the pockets myself. I can't see you can get much safer than that.

My phone is usually kept in my shirt front pocket. In theory maybe easier to pull out, but since it is right under my eye, again would be difficult to go unnoticed.

I lost a PDA from a shirt front pocket once. Wasn't stolen, I leaned over to reach a low-lying flush lever in a toilet and . . . splash. Well, technically wasn't lost, but it never worked again.

[imron]

In general, try to never carry more cash than you're willing to lose. Keep it in a wallet in front/side pockets rather than back pockets (same goes for phones). In crowded areas walk with your hands in said pockets (or have them hovering over them). If you have anything valuable in a bag wear the bag on your front rather than on your back. If you need to be carrying large amounts of money use a money belt. I never lost any money or valuables in my entire time in China (roughly 6 years in total).

[roddy]

Haven't trusted a money belt since 1999 getting off at a rest stop during a sleeper bus ride to Dali - someone tapped me on the shoulder and handed mine back to me. It'd worked loose while I'd been asleep and I hadn't noticed. Even large amounts of cash I'd prefer to keep in a zipped, preferably inside, pocket.

[abcdefg]

I'd like to know where to carry my cash (bag which is inside bag which is inside bag would help if one cuts it you think?)...where to keep my cell phone...also documents so on...

I don't use a wallet in China. I put hundreds and fifties in my left front pocket and make the pocket's opening narrower than it originally was with a safety pin from the inside. I can still fish out a hundred by using two fingers. Smaller bills and coins go in my right front pocket. My shoulder bag is usually slung in front. I clutch it to my chest in a crowded bus and when getting on and off.

One of the most difficult parts of all this was the psychological component. I had to be willing to say nonverbally to strangers on the street "I think you may be a thief and I am protecting my stuff from you." Westerners would generally like their anti-theft measures not to be obvious so as to not risk giving offense. I don't care whether mine are obvious or not.

I keep my phone in an inner compartment of my shoulder bag. My phone numbers are backed up on my computer. The phone itself is an old and cheap one, not an Apple Thief Magnet. I don't carry important documents; I carry a Xerox copy of them. I seldom carry a bank card, but when I do, it goes into an inner compartment of my shoulder bag. The number is written down at home so that it can be easily cancelled if lost or stolen.

In addition to such measures, you need to develop a "sixth sense" regarding where you are most vulnerable and take countermeasures in such situations. Consciously think about it until it becomes second nature. Pushy/clingy kids selling flowers, beggar with "assistants" (most often mother and child,) crowd watching a street performer or rubbernecking at an accident, and so on. Be aware of "the squeeze" and "the distraction." Watch for "the bump."

Kunming pickpockets are extremely skilled and usually work in teams; they are actually the best I have encountered anywhere in China. They will probably get you eventually. They have gotten most of my street-wise local Chinese friends at one time or other. They have also gotten me.

[Scoobyqueen]

Who always carries a book?

Yes indeed. What a silly suggestion of mine.

[edelweis]

hmmm if I'm going anywhere further than the grocery store I usually have a book with me (or wish I had one) ;)

[roddy]

Fair enough. I'm just biased as I once had my emergency money hidden in a book and lent it to someone.

[Meng Lelan]

I don't carry a book, I carry a magazine, usually 中國旅遊.

[jiacheng]

Since having my iphone stolen out of my pocket while I was swiping my card on a bus, I took my shorts to a tailor to have them modified. He sewed a pocket within a pocket, just big enough to hold my phone. There is no way you could pull it out of that pocket with just your fingers and not be noticed.

[gougou]

As much as it makes sense to take precautions, it's important to realize that also in China there aren't only thieves in the streets. Especially if you stay away from tourist sights or crowded spaces (such as the squares in front of railway stations or shopping streets), you won't be encountering many. I just put my cash in my back pocket and my phone in the side pocket, and in 6 years in Beijing, I haven't had anything stolen (though I did lose a phone in a cab once). If I carry large amounts of money, I just put them in a wallet in my bag - I'm not worried about being robbed, and if it's a large amount I'd be attentive enough to notice if somebody was trying to get to it.

But of course, this depends a lot on what kind of person you are. If you put your money in a bag in a bag in a bag, but aren't the kind of person to watch said bag, then that won't do much good. At the same time, you could put cash on the table and not be afraid of it being stolen as long as you're watching it vigilantly enough.

[Lu]

In general, try to never carry more cash than you're willing to lose.

Sometimes one needs to pay for expensive things. Like rent or a new phone.

In the metro or crowded/touristy areas I always carry my back in front with my arm over it. When I go out I only bring as much money as I'll need for the night and no bank cards or such. It seems pickpockets are the greatest danger, I've never really worried about being robbed with threat or violence.

[Matty]

Well, firstly, stay alert, I know you don't want to hear it, but without proper attention it's a lost cause.

Paying attention and following a few simple rules I haven't had anything stolen or lost in my 5 years in China.

I keep my wallet in my front right pocket with often more money than I should. My pocket is rather tight and usually causes a slight discomfort to my leg and is difficult for me to remove myself. It's not unusual for me to have a small swab of tissues and maybe a comb covering the wallet. (Not planned really)

When anyone bumps into me, squeezes against me or anything out of the ordinary, I do the 3 pocket pat down to check my items. (Phone is in the left and the third pocket is... well... it varies).

I have a habit of my hands sitting just next to my pockets and sometimes my thumb slightly inside my pockets.

When I leave any location I do a seat, floor and table check for anything I or my friends may have dropped.

I have a small shoulder bag which I chose as it has a flap which hangs right over the front I often rest my hand on the top of it while it sits against my pocket. This is probably my weakest and most exploitable point, but you can't really guarantee everything.

Attention to your surroundings and especially people standing too close to others is vital. I've told of more than my fair share of pick pockets over the years, though I've never been thanked once by anyone I've helped, you just seem to get an awkward look before they keep walking on as if nothing happened.

Know your high risk areas and times.

[Lu]

When I leave any location I do a seat, floor and table check for anything I or my friends may have dropped.

Yeah, that's also a good one, not so much to avoid being pickpocketed but to avoid loosing stuff: always look back, definately look back when getting out of a taxi, and when taking a taxi, always take the receipt. This can avoid fake money and might get you your stuff back if you left it in the taxi (not always, but it certainly does happen).

[skylee]

fake money

Groan. It's hard living in China.

[Matty]

Groan. It's hard living in China.

It's not so bad, it's pretty easy to tell real notes from fake notes. And you can get one of those lil pocket lights to test too, though that's not fool proof.

Learn how to identify fakes and it's not so bad.

[luismaro]

Be careful with the chopstick thieves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tXLgIZT3s&feature=player_embedded

[Areckx]

What if someone steals your pants while you're wearing them!? I've heard of ninja schools...